Fried turkey is a great way to quickly cook your bird for the holidays. You will get crispy skin, moist meat and a free oven to cook your sides. All you need is some simple ingredients and a safe technique to get the best experience.

You will need the following items to safely fry your turkey.

Outdoor Burner

22 - 30 qt. Pot

Butchers Twine

Candy Thermometer

Long Heavy Duty Tongs or a Meat Hook

Medium Sized Cooler or Large Stockpot with Lid

Clean Platter

Meat Thermometer - Stem Style

Brined and Fried Turkey Recipe

11 lb. Turkey

1 qt. Water

1.5 C Salt

1 C Sugar

1 C Apple Cider Vinegar

1 gal. Ice

Optional Flavor Enhancement

1/3 C Pepper Corns

10 Bay Leaves

1/4 C Dried Thyme

10 Garlic Cloves

2 gal Peanut Oil

1. Place your turkey while in the bag into your frying pot, then fill with water until the turkey is covered by one inch of water. Remove the turkey and mark where your water line is. That is how far up you should fill the pot with oil.

2. Place your brining ingredients into a saucepan, bring to a simmer and stir to dissolve the sugar and salt. Remove the brine from the heat and let cool.

3. Remove your turkey from the bag, drain any juices, remove any plastic and bag 'o' organs from the inside.

4. Place the turkey in a cooler or large stockpot with lid. Pour the brine over the turkey and then stir in the ice. The turkey should be totally under icy water. Brine for 12-16 hours, and it is important to keep ice cold during this process or your turkey will spoil. I like to keep it outside during this time.

5. Remove the turkey from the brine, drain and dry very well, then set out at room temp for 90 minutes to remove the chill from the bird.

6. Place the frying pot on your outdoor burner at least 10 feet from your house, preferably on concrete. Attach the candy thermometer and fill up with oil to the water mark you made earlier. Turn the heat on and heat the oil up to 350 F.

7. Tie the legs together with butchers twine and dry the turkey with paper towels one more time. Very slowly hook the turkey legs using long tongs or a meat hook and lower into the oil. Keep kids and pets away during this time.

8. Cook the turkey for about 25 minutes at 350 F. Adjust the fuel as needed to maintain the heat. With a friend carefully bring up the turkey halfway out of the oil and check the temperature of the bird using a stem thermometer. The deepest part of the thigh, not touching bone, should register at 175 F. If it needs more time, fry for another 5-10 minutes.

9. Remove the turkey from the oil and place on a clean platter. Let the turkey sit for 20 minutes before carving.

Place a large pot over medium heat. Add the oil to the pan, when it smokes, add the bacon and cook until crisp. Remove the bacon then add the onion and cook until the soft. Add the bacon, peas, stock and bay leaf then simmer on low heat, covered for 30 minutes. Stir in the vinegar, pepper and Tabasco to taste. Cook for another 10 minutes and then garnish with herbs.

Pre heat your broiler on high heat. Place the oysters on a baking sheet lined with rock salt, top with a little horseradish and chopped bacon. Drizzle the oysters with olive oil and top with fresh pepper. Broil the oysters for 3-5 minutes or until the oysters curl at the edges.

Pre heat the oven to 400° F. Place a skillet over medium heat, add the butter and when it stops foaming add the mushrooms and toss. Cook the mushrooms for 3 minutes and then toss, repeat until the mushrooms are golden brown. Place the sliced bread on a baking sheet; spread the mushrooms evenly on each slice of bread, top with cheese and fresh pepper. Bake for 7-10 minutes or until golden brown.

Mix together the first 4 ingredients in a small bowl and marinate the mushrooms. Puree the mushrooms, marinade, soaked pecans, dried mushrooms, and sundried tomatoes into a chunky paste. Add a tablespoon of the mushroom liquid if it is too thick. Serve with toasted bread or crackers. Garnish with fresh or dried herbs.

Check out this party pleasing recipe for the holidays. Take any kind of bread you like, the nuttier, fruitier, whole wheatier, crustier the better. Spread any kind of tasty chutney, jam, preserves or jelly you like. My favorite is fig, mixed berry or mango chutney. Top with tangy goat cheese and bake until golden brown. I like to bring these prepared and then baked at the party to make sure they are perfect.

During the holiday season there is one recipe that really gets me in the festive mood, and that is baked oysters. Oysters are at there most sweet and plump in December and can be topped and baked in a million different ways. Check out this recipe below for a simple and classic version of baked oysters. The cheese, bread crumbs and herbs get golden brown under the broiler as the oyster gets plump and curls at the edges.

Have a great holiday season and Get Crackin'! Chef Egg

Classic Baked Oysters

12 Oysters, on the half shell

¼ C Parmesan Cheese

¼ C Bread Crumbs

1 tbsp. Dried Herbs

3 tbsp. Olive Oil or Melted Butter

Pre heat your broiler on high heat. Place the oysters on a baking sheet lined with rock salt, top with cheese, breadcrumbs and dried herbs. Drizzle the oysters with olive oil and top with fresh pepper. Broil the oysters for 3-5 minutes or until the oysters curl at the edges and the cheese and breadcrumbs are golden brown.

Hanukah time is here my friends and I want to share a great recipe for classic and super authentic potato pancakes or "Latkes". Latkes in this new golden age of the home gourmet can also include spinach, apples, carrots, sweet potatoes and beets. They are easy to make, fun to eat and go well with breakfast, lunch and dinner.

How can you go wrong with fried potatoes? Well, a great latke is thin, golden brown, crispy and best straight out of the pan. A bad latke is soggy, mushy, undercooked, and oil logged.

Follow these 5 tips for great potato latkes and don't forget to make extra to put under your Hanukah bush!

1. Drain the potatoes well so they latkes get crisp and brown.

2. Utilize the potato starch to help thicken the mixture.

3. Use a mixture of chicken fat (schmaltz) and oil to fry the latkes. This will give them that authentic flavor.

4. Make sure you cover the bottom of a heavy skillet with oil and that it starts to smoke a little before you add the potato mixture.

5. Once you drop the shredded potato in the pan, do not touch and let it brown then turn and repeat. When the latkes are done, remove them from the pan, drain on paper towels and keep in a 225 F oven until service.

Homemade Potato Latkes

2 lbs. Potato, shredded

½ Onion, shredded

2 Eggs

1 C Canola Oil

4 oz. Chicken Skin or rendered chicken fat (schmaltz)

1 tbsp. Salt and Pepper

Place the shredded potatoes and onion into cheesecloth or a kitchen towel and press out all of the water. If you don't squeeze out the water your pancakes will become sticky and gummy. Let the potato water sit for 5 minutes, pour off the water and remove the potato starch from the bottom. The starch will help bind the latkes together. Add the starch, onions, eggs and seasoning to the bowl and mix well to combine.

Place a large pan over low/medium heat, add the chicken skin to the pan and let the fat render until the skin is crispy then remove. Add a quarter of the oil to the pan and bring up to heat. When the fat starts to smoke, place a spoonful of the potato mixture into the pan and flatten to ¼ of an inch. Allow the latkes to fry until golden brown on one side then turn and repeat. Remove the latkes from the pan, place on paper towels to drain and season with salt and pepper.

Spiced nuts are probably the most highly addictive holiday snack in the world. They can be used for both sweet and savory dishes or for snacking all day long. Try this recipe as a crowd pleasing garnish for soups, salads, ice cream or other tasty winter related desserts.

Winter Spiced Nuts

2 C Whole Walnuts or Pecans

3 tbsp. Butter

2 tsp. Cinnamon or Pumpkin Pie Spice

¼ tsp. Cayenne Pepper

¼ C Sugar

1 tsp. Salt

Place large pan over low/medium heat; add the butter and nuts and toss. Slowly toast the nuts until fragrant and browned. Add the spices, salt and 3/4 of the sugar, toss frequently to caramelize the sugar without burning about 5-7 minutes. When the sugar has cooked and caramelized place the nuts into a bowl and toss with the rest of the sugar and a pinch of salt. let the nuts cool completely before serving.

In the fall months I love a huge slice of apple pie, but baking a pie is without a doubt the last thing on my list of things to do. I created the recipe below that will give you all of the warmness of a fresh baked pie without any of the work. The first thing you have to do is get some tasty apples and pears, any kind will do. Place the chopped fruit, butter and some dried cranberries into a pan over medium heat and cook them until they are soft.

While that is cooking you can whip up some homemade whipped cream sweetened with maple syrup. When the apples are almost done, add some of the pumpkin pie spice, which is a mixture of cinnamon, ginger and cloves. Cook for one minute to release the flavors in the spice.

Place the apples in a bowl and top with ¼ cup of granola, which takes the place of a baked crust or crumble topping. Finally, top the dish with a heaping spoonful of the maple whipped cream.

This is an easy, quick and tasty recipe for the whole family. You can substitute fresh or frozen, peaches, plums or pineapple and top with any number of granola flavors and creamy toppings.

Now Get Crackin'! Chef Egg

Sautéed Apple Crisp Serves 4

3 tbsp. Butter

3 Apples, Cored and Chopped

2 Pears, Cored and Chopped

¼ C Dried Cranberries

1 tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice

1 C Granola

1 C Heavy Cream

2 tbs. Maple Syrup

Place a pan over medium heat. Add the butter, apples, pears and dried cranberries to the pan and cook until soft, about 10 minutes. While that is cooking place the cream and maple syrup into a bowl and whisked until thick. Add the spices to the apple mixture and cook for one minute. Serve the apples in a bowl and top with the granola and fresh whipped cream.